I grew up tall, hitting 5’7″ by age 10. By junior high I had gained weight and outgrown regular women’s sizes, which went up to about a size 12 back then in the late 1990’s. Babysitting money was tight in my teens, so I ended up rocking vintage thrift store finds and hip-hop inspired men’s clothes from discount stores like Ross. I lived in rural Brinnon so trips to Silverdale or another city for shopping would happen only a few times a year, if that. Online shopping was barely a thing, mostly for fancy or niche items.
Back then, rarely did you see someone over a size 14 on TV or in any other media. One day, I spotted an ad in Seventeen magazine for Lane Bryant, featuring Mia Tyler in a cool outfit. It was great; here was something in my size that wasn’t like their matronly catalog. I managed to buy some feminine clothes for once! This was a big deal in part due to a health condition called PCOS making weight management tough while I was heavily into basketball and other sports and felt tomboyish often.
I even made it to the third round of a Lane Bryant modeling contest in 2003, but had to bow out due to age restrictions – they needed ID verified to move to the next contest tier and I was 17 not 18 at the time. It was a confidence booster, though.
Now, 20 years later, I’m not impressed with Lane Bryant anymore. I find that their quality has tanked, prices have soared, and there are better options for plus-size fashion these days. I appreciate how much they meant at the time, and had recommended them to people for almost half my life, but they have really disappointed me lately in quality and fabric sources.
SLP
Shannon Lee Petitjean 1/21/24
